Former Israeli minister calls for dialogue with Hamas

Former Israeli Defence Minister, Amir Peretz, has called for dialogue with Hamas in order to reach a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Peretz said during debates for the presidency of the Labor party that “dialogue with Hamas is a must because peace is made with enemies”.

The former minister suggested the possibility of releasing Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi from prison.

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“If circumstances arise in which Barghouthi can be released to help in the political process, we must think about that,” he said.

Peretz has rejected unilateral steps, pointing out that unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon “created a vacuum in which Hezbollah entered, while Hamas was in the Gaza Strip”.